


i dig 'til my shovel tells a secret

by jackopancake



Category: Borderlands (Video Games)
Genre: AI Jack can hold objects and it will be explained later, AI Jack is Adaptive, Absent Parents, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Atlas CEO Rhys, F/M, Family Drama, Jack is Rhys's Father, Jack is a Little Shit, Join Hyperion route, Major Original Character(s), Mother-Son Relationship, New Planets, Off-World, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Past Relationship(s), Post-Canon, Rhys and Fiona don't disappear in the Vault, Rhys is a little shit, Rhys's Mom is Tired of Both Their Shit, Save Yvette route, Trust Jack route, father-son bonding
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-10
Updated: 2017-08-05
Packaged: 2018-11-12 08:54:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 10,028
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11158488
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jackopancake/pseuds/jackopancake
Summary: Rhys never knew who his father was. Months after the Vault of the Traveler, he opens an envelope that reveals a startling revelation: that his father was actually Handsome Jack himself. His mother, having been Jack's second wife, had bolted to a distant planet named Hestia before Rhys was born. This triggers a series of events that throws Rhys back into a world in which he thought he'd left forever: Jack's world.





	1. Some Answers are Meant to be Kept Hidden... Forever

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first Borderlands fic. Please enjoy! It started as a one-shot where Rhys and Sasha go visit Rhys's mom who reveals Rhys's father to him, but it evolved into a multi-chapter fic involving about a hundred million guns (exaggeration), a kidnapping, weird science, and sitting for hours creating a new planet like it was a D&D campaign.
> 
> Also, since I can't get rid of my Gintama fic roots, all the chapter titles are gonna be weird as SHIT. Title and italicized text in the beginning of the chapter are lyrics to "Earth" by Sleeping at Last. (Give it a listen!)
> 
> Enjoy!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Woah! Everything is happening so much!" - Rhys, and also my readers

_...swear to the Earth that I will keep it_

“Uh, Rhys? Rhys?”

His ECHOdevice is going off, it’s 2am, and Rhys is definitely not ready for it. He fumbles for it in the dark, and once he grabs it he pulls it up to his face. “What? It’s _late_.”

Vaughn sounds apologetic. “I know, sorry. But ah, your mother called.”

What?

 

 

Of all… possible events that could happen to him, his mother finally contacting him is one of the most gut-wrenching, guilt-ridden ones. He didn’t like to think about her precisely for the regret that those thoughts were accompanied with. He sits up slowly. Vaughn doesn’t understand the relationship Rhys and his mother have (or had, he isn’t sure.) So for Rhys, hearing all this was… a lot. Overwhelming, almost.

“Why?”

“I can just connect you tw-”

Rhys waves his hand frantically to get him to stop talking (which isn’t exactly helpful, really). “No, no, not right now! I can’t! Just… tell me.”

A pause. “Be right back.” He hangs up for a few minutes. Rhys leans back on the bed frame. Well, crap. The last time they spoke, they tossed each other words of vitriol and laden with poison. One bad choice after another, and right after that an even worse choice, and after _that_ …

Well, Helios crashed.

...She’s probably so worried. It’s another terrible choice on Rhys’s part, and he covers his face and softly groans. No, he’s not talking to her at this time of night. Sasha snoozes next to him, unaware.

Wouldn’t Ma be happy that he’s alive?

Vaughn calls him, and he picks up. “I’ll talk to her,” Rhys grumbles.

“Good, because I told her that. She’s been trying to contact you since Helios. That’s… all she wanted me to tell you. Although I will say her voice when I told her you were alive wa-”

“Enough.” Rhys is tempted to hang up on him. “That's all she needs to know, right? I’ll talk to her on my own time.”

He’s concerned almost immediately when Vaughn doesn’t respond. It’s dead silent, and then Rhys hears an ‘err…’, so he groans. “What did you…”

“I told her you’d call back in the morning.”

“The hell? Bro, you know that Ma and I aren't on the best of terms right now. Not after I…”

In her sleep, Sasha smacks him.

Vaughn audibly smiles. “I know. I know! I also know you mumbled just now, and that you avoid talking to her out of anxiety, so just… say hello, at least.”

The man looks up at the ceiling and lets out a sigh. “...Fine. There's one thing I have to do to talk to her however. I bet she’ll call you again to contact me, so tell her that if I’m not ready, okay? But I’ll do it tomorrow. I mean, in the morning. For, ah, you Vaughn.”

 

 

He doesn’t call her in the morning. He stands at the sink with coffee in his hands instead, yawning. A pro of having one prosthetic hand is that he can hold a piping-hot cup and not get burned. Fantastic! He’s forgotten all about the call, frankly. The whole thing felt like a dream. He’s sure it was a dream.

Pandoran sunrises are quite beautiful. A desert sky explodes into several colors of oranges and blues. The light dances off the plants of the Biodome, creating a dance of colors. Nighttime Rakk fly lazily in circles looking for a place to sleep. Skags call out for their family packs. They’re like roosters, almost. All in all, it’s a very calm time of the day.

Sasha wakes up and antagonizes him a little bit. It's the typical routine. Today she's going to go meet up with Fiona to go track some possible new treasure. Rhys hands her a coffee with a kiss, and soon she's gone for the day.

Later, when the sun is a little higher in the sky, Rhys calls Vaughn.

“Hey, Rhys! You ready to-”

“Damn, Vaughn, I had the strangest dream.” He laughs. “You called me and said Ma had called! Ain’t that something! We haven’t talked in years, I doubt she would even-” The silence on the end of the phone is even more damning than it was at 2am.

“Uh, Rhys? That wasn’t a dream. I actually did call and I can put her on the line and-”

Beep!

Rhys hangs up.

He isn't ready for that.

 

 

Rhys, after waking up alone in the ruins of Helios, had grabbed a few objects. The first was the deed to Atlas, making him the newest CEO. The second was his old ECHOeye. The third was a envelope addressed to home.

He had found it while grabbing the deed. It had been tucked away in the corner of the shelf, and while it was slightly burned, he felt it was still readable. Today he looks it over slowly, turning it in his hands as he sits at his desk.

It has no name. He isn't sure who it’s for, but he guesses it's to him. After all, he was the one chosen to host the man’s damn AI program. It is only natural that he would get a letter about it anyway.

Besides, Jack had taunted him with it. _Rhysie, this is very important. And you can have it just as soon as you do what I say._ At the time, he hadn't known it was addressed to his house.

Screw you, Jack. He still got it. Bitch!

He wants to open this envelope before talking to Ma. But he also wants to open it _with_ Ma. It’s killing him, however, to even have the letter. The curiosity was just… overwhelming. Vaughn calls him again, but all he says is, “Not ready, Vaughn! Give me fifteen minutes!” before disconnecting the call.

If he wants to actually be able to talk to Vaughn without his mother being brought up, he well… he needs to do this. He grabs the envelope and slices it open with a paring knife. A bit of it crumbles away as he pulls the letter out, but he needs to know.

It’s in Handsome Jack’s handwriting. Who else would it be? Strangely, it’s familiar to him. He’s seen this handwriting somewhere else before. He starts to read.

> _Dear Ms… whatever you call yourself now. Sutton? Parker Sutton. Sorry, I’m gonna call you by what I know._

Ah, so it’s for his mom. It comes off strangely to Rhys, however, as if this was just some formal letter to an employee’s parent, it wouldn’t be phrased it such a casual way. But the more he reads, the more his heart starts to sink.

> _I finally found you, Morgan._
> 
> _I know you’re worried about the boy. Rhys is fine. His cybernetics work great, although they required a good portion of his brain to become more mechanical and less biological. No worries. It works perfectly well with his new arm._
> 
> _How do I know your address? Well, let’s just say a little birdie told me, also called employee information files. I thought you wouldn’t had let him apply after hearing about what I’ve done. But… the real reason why I’m writing this is to gloat. To brag. Ha ha, I got you! I got you good! Even after what you did. Wanna know what I’m so happy about?_
> 
> _He’s more like me than you realize._

Rhys lets out a snort of a laugh. Of course he is. He idolized the damn man! Wanted to be just like him! God, Handsome Jack could be petty.

> _Every day he proves more to be a Booker than a Sutton. I’ve been keeping an eye on him. He’s done some marvelous, lucrative deals, stepped on some toes, stolen a few salary bonuses here and there… I think he even looks up to me already. Morgan, he’s more me than you no matter how hard you try to keep him from realizing that._
> 
> _And with his new cybernetics, he’s carrying more in that little brain of his than either of you realize._

Rhys knows the answer to that one all right. This is just petty garbage. He puts the letter down for a bit.

His big question is, how did they know each other? How did Ma know Handsome Jack, and why did Handsome Jack call her a different name?

He wants to stop reading this shit, but Ma always said to finish what you start, and he has to finish. He's almost done.

> _I win, Morgan. Soon, I’ll take him under my wing, and I’ll mentor him. I’m sure he’d love that. I’ll be the father figure he was meant to have, and soon he will inherit Hyperion, the family business. You’ll see. Our son will be Hyperion’s newest star._
> 
> _Jack._

Rhys drops the letter.

 

Oh God, what?

The shock passes quickly enough for Rhys to stumble into the bathroom and glance in the mirror. No… n-n-no way. He laughs. Ma barely spoke of his father. At first she did, but one day she read something in the newspaper and told Rhys to never ask of him again. Rhys, being young and impressionable, listened, although confused.

He stands there staring at himself in the mirror. He wishes he kept a picture of the man for comparison, and Jack’s words from the caravan ride echo in his brain: We’re a lot alike, you and I.

Did AI Jack know?

Why didn’t Handsome Jack use him beforehand then? Or was that why he was selected to host the AI? Why, why, why?

Vaughn calls. “Twenty minutes, Vaughn! I’m having a midlife crises!”

“You’re like twenty tw-” Beep!

He needs… he needs Jack. Jack is the only one who could answer these questions.

Fuck, this is a bad choice. But Rhys is riddled with bad choices. Why not make one more?

Since getting back to the Atlas Biodome, he’s put together a small contraption. He had connected the old ECHOeye to one of the mainframes, did a bit of coding, and then installed some cords for output. The Children of Helios had been glad to offer up any working parts when he asked for them - it always concerns him how much of a god they treat him as. The original goal was to download Jack’s AI into a thumbdrive to hide away, something less easy to lose. Rhys, in the end, couldn’t give up his old hero. He was then planning on restoring ECHOeye functionality using his old one’s programming.

But instead of an old thumbdrive, he was now going to put Jack _back_ in his brain. Because why the fuck not? He didn’t even know if it was going to work, but sadly Rhys’s brain functions on impulsive decisions.

At the machine, he readies the device to transfer the data. The ECHOeye has three programs: the Jack AI, the regular ECHOeye operating system, and the JACK-O-PEDIA. He only chooses to transfer the first two. The Jack AI can't work without the regular ECHOeye program. In many ways, he hopes it doesn’t work so he could forget everything he just read. Maybe he could transfer those memories out of his brain! That would be swell!

The device dings. Time to do it. He rubs his head a bit. He grabs the wire and plugs it into his port.

If it didn’t work, he would jus- Sparks start to fly. He clutches his head as pain sears through it. “Oh, god,” he mutters. Bad idea, bad idea. Bad idea! This is going to kill him! The machine probably isn't ready for this. He squeezes his eyes shut and doubles over.

Seconds pass. He struggles to pull the wire out of his port to reverse the data transfer, but it shocks his hand. But as soon as the electricity came, it goes. It's replaced with a painless static charge before everything stops. Rhys yanks the wire out of his head and staggers backwards.

“I’m not doing that again,” he mutters. This time he doesn't pass out. It reminds him of when he first plugged Nakayama’s ID in, except worse? He hears a static sound behind him, like an old TV turning on, and then a breath.

He doesn't turn around.

“Hey, kiddo, hit your head again like a dumbass?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a picture to go along with it:
> 
>  


	2. Going Through All That Trouble to Kill Him, Just to Bring Him Back

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "You win some, you lose some," except Rhys always seems to just lose.

_ Brush off the dirt and let my change of heart occur. _

Fuck.

Shit fuck damn.

What a familiar voice. An ugly, awful, familiar voice. Rhys doesn’t move. He doesn’t even breathe; the hand on his prosthetic arm curls into a fist. The last time they saw each other, Jack was trying to strangle him, and it ended with self-mutilation and destroying Jack’s current existence. “I’m done with Jack,” he had said over and over again to everyone.

Here he is, bringing the bastard back because for personal reasons.

He needs a breather. To pause and reflect on his goddamn choices, and whether or not he should just put Jack back and… his eyes glance over to the cord, which dangles just out of reach. Out of the corner of his eye, he can see a faint glow. Wait, is that really him? This is a lot, too much.

“Woah, check it out! Rhysie, I’m super pissed off at you at the moment, but ho wow, check out this  _ hue! _ It’s beautiful!”

Oh great. Rhys finally slowly turns around to his worst nightmare (that he just so happened to do to himself): Handsome Jack, standing in his damn workshop. Not much has changed, except this time he’s… yellow. “Now this is a color of kings!”

Rhys sighs. “It’s because my new ECHOeye is a gold color, Jack.”

“You really should’ve gone for a yellow eye in the first place.”

“I like blue better.”

Jack starts laughing, but then gets serious. He strides forward until his face is in Rhys’s. His eyebrows furrow; he’s  _ mad. _ “But I’m pretty pissed, cupcake. Pissed about what you did to me. and then what do you do? Just bring me right back. You can’t even complete the goddamn job.”

“In all honesty, the plan was to upload your data to a thumbdrive, bury it, and never think about it again. Instead, I stuck you back in my head because I need answers.”

Jack rolls his eyes. “Well why don’t I just… finish it once and for all, eh?” He grabs his own neck with his hand (strangulation, of course, his chosen method), and Rhys tenses up, but his own arm doesn’t budge.

He lets out a breath of relief. His risk prevention worked.

“Yeah, I kiiiind of left out the specs needed for you to do that.” He smirks. “I’m not that stupid, Jack.” The confirmation that Jack can’t control him calms him down greatly. He can handle Jack’s insults and snarky comments, not the looming prospect of death by asphyxiation. 

“ _ Fuck  _ you.” He turns his back to the Atlas CEO, ignoring him like a child.

Rhys steps forward. “You know,  _ I’m _ the one in charge now.”

Crossing his arms, Jack lets out a groan. What a sudden burst of confidence from Rhys! “You dick. Why’d you bring me back, anyway? I do recall your last words being, quote, ‘Jack-o, it is time for you to die, for real.’”

“I didn’t… I didn’t say that, Jack.” Rhys pinches the bridge of his nose. He ponders about how to go about asking Jack the question. With Jack being pissed and already giving demands, breaking the news to him would be difficult to say the least. Especially if this Jack was just as petty as the living Jack, eugh. “Like I said, I need answers. And I won’t stop until I find them. So suck it up, dumbass.”

“Ugh... Stop that, you sound like my second wife.” 

Rhys pauses. This… might solve his dilemma. “Morgan?”

Jack whips around, watching Rhys suspiciously. “...How did you know that?” Rhys turns and starts to walk out of the workshop, feet stepping onto Atlas soil. Jack trails after. It’s not like he has a choice.

“Ignoring me, are you? Also, seriously, why do you smell like burnt cheese?”

“Shut it.” He stops and turns. “I have my ways of knowing that. It’s complicated.” They walk in silence for a bit. Jack’s glancing around, trying to figure out where he is, and he snaps his fingers once the memories come back to him.

“This is that Biodome. Kiddo, what are you doing here?”

Rhys shrugs. “I live here now. I stole your deed, and now I own Atlas. Thanks, by the way. It’s improved my life being a CEO. I also took a letter that was addressed to home, but it didn’t have a name. I thought it was for me, but it was actually for… Ma. And… I need you to confirm something on it.”

He makes a sharp turn and goes inside the main Atlas building, causing Jack to slide through a tree before he catches up. And then he complains about  _ that _ . No one’s around, at least. “Sure, sweetcheeks.” Rhys shutters at that.  _ Please don’t call me that. It’s  _ very  _ weird suddenly.  _  “Only because I have no choice.”

Rhys steps inside his room, grabbing the letter off the floor and holding it up to Jack. “Do you recognize this?”

Jack leans in. “Isn't this the letter you wanted that I taunted you with? Well, that’s my handwriting, and… nope, not familiar with the contents of this lett- Hey, wait, is this how you…?” 

“Yes. Read it.”

Jack instinctively tries to grab it, but his hand goes through it. He then just leans closer, reading carefully. He reads faster, reads the letter over and over, before he steps back. “I can’t accept this.”

“Yeah, we’re in the same boat.” Rhys rolls the letter up and puts it on his nightstand, next to his ECHOdevice. Great. He put Jack back in his brain only for Jack to not know what the fuck was going on. Brilliant! He rubs his face. Jack is also rubbing his face, so Rhys quickly puts his arms to his side. Everything is so painstakingly noticeable now.

Either he’d call Vaughn back, or a couple of Children of the Helios would show up at his door, whichever comes first. For now, he has a serious situation to deal with.

Jack speaks first. “...Let me get something straight. My second wife, Morgan, now goes by ‘Parker Sutton’ and is… your mother? And I’m your…”

“Yes. You didn’t know any of this?!”

“No. I’m just an artificial intelligence. I sometimes have existential crises over it. But that’s not the point. I wasn’t a complete program. I didn’t even know my damn daughter was dead!”

Rhys nods. He only was file version 4.20.69, after all… very funny.

Jack’s eyes dart around a bit, as if he’s thinking. He wanders over to the window and looks out it. “Morgan Booker. That was her full name. This letter doesn’t mention a last name, could be any Morgan. Case closed.” This was ridiculous. Ridiculously overwhelming. Rhys goes into his bathroom and shuts the door. He needs space. He needs to slow down.

Jack stands outside. Boy must’ve needed to go bad. Either that or he needs to cry.

_ So far… Ma tried to call. I decided that I needed to open that letter before I called her back. I opened it and read it, and come to find out Handsome Jack is my father, which Ma kept from me my whole life. _

He groans.

_ I then, on impulse, decided to bring Jack back from the virtual dead to clarify things instead of just calling Ma. He then has no answers for me, hence confirming I should’ve just called Ma in the first place. _

“I hope it’s not a particularly smelly one. Actually, I do hope it is because then you have to suffer.”

“Shut up.”

_ And here I am, still not calling Ma. _

He’s away from Jack here, so he sits himself down on the toilet seat lid and glances at the ceiling. Some time passes, but his brain won’t stop.

_ Also, Jack is gold now. _

He hears Jack’s voice, but can’t make out what he says.

Then there’s a knock.

“Rhys?”

Oh.  _ Oh my god. _ It’s George from IT. He was right; Vaughn sent someone. Goddamnit. Rhys opens the door. There he is, along with one of the old uniform designers, Lani.

“Seriously, Rhys? Vaughn was starting to worry about you there.”

Rhys inhales and steadies himself, giving a fake apologetic grin. “Haha, sorry. But I just… I’m trying to get my arm to work. You know, with the cool hacking abilities it used to have and… stuff.” Lies, lies. Rhys is especially good at lying these days. Jack smiles a bit as he listens to him effortlessly fib. “But, ah, bad stomach. It’s a surprise for my mom. Not the bad stomach, the arm.”

Lani sighs. “Fine. You should’ve told him originally. Hey, take care out there, okay?”

“Okay. I’ll call him soon. Once I get my arm working again, so don’t worry about it.”

Phew, finally got Vaughn off his back. They exchange a quick goodbye before Lani and George leave. Rhys steps out of the bathroom. “...Good, kid,” Jack praises. “Good, you’re an excellent manipulative bastard. Those bitches eat your words up, don’t they?”

“Like you?” Rhys snaps back. “Don’t pull that shit on me. They see me as some sort of god, though.”

Jack smirks. It’s like he found one of Rhys’s buttons he can push. And push. And push. “Like me. Well, now you can’t get rid of me. Imagine having your own father in your head… forever! Comparing you to himself, lecturing you and you not being able to talk back because everyone will think you’re just so goddamn crazy.” He says the last words slowly, drawing out every syllable. 

_ I’m already going crazy, Jack. _

Rhys sighs. “You’re such an ass.” Jack scrunches up his face at that.

A silence falls between them. 

In truth, it’s been awhile since they last saw each other. In a way, to Rhys, it’s like meeting an old friend again many years after a big fight. Except it hasn’t been years. Also, Jack had tried to commit murder-suicide.

Jack observes him. He walks around him, eyes trailing Rhys’s features. Rhys turns his head away. “I’m going to go put you back now.”

“Aw, seriously? Um, please don’t.” Jack steps back and waves his hands frantically.

“Why not? Hit me with your best shot. The prosecution is listening.”

“I want to know the answer to this, too. How about this? I behave, and you keep me in your empty head while you go figure out what you’re all so dying to know.”

Rhys raises and eyebrow. No way was Jack going to behave. “How about this? Stay completely quiet for an hour and I’ll consider it.” He feels this is the  _ most _ Jack could do on any daily basis. Even then, it might be too much for him.

Back at the workshop, Rhys spends most of that hour tinkering with his arm. He’ll call Ma on his own terms, at his own time. For now, he thinks. Jack is laying down on the floor, arms behind his head looking up at the ceiling. Finally, a breather. No, the bathroom didn't count. A breather was defined by absolutely no interruptions from anyone, including pesky artificial intelligence and worried wingmen.

Rhys likes to tinker. It’s one of the skills he was best at (other than lying). Done it since he was a kid, really. He once won a robotics competition! He built this arm himself, too, which made self-repair easier. 

One hour turns into two, then three. Rhys curls up his fingers on his mechanical arm, and then he flings his wrist out, and a screen appears on his palm. Gold, of course. He smiles. “Jack, I-”

Is he asleep or just ignoring him?

Rhys gets up and stands next to Jack’s form. He doesn’t budge. His eyes are closed. Maybe he’s just resting his eyes, or whatever that means. “Sir, sir. Your coffee's ready. Pandora is on fire. The bandits are dead. Jackie. Jackie. Jackie. Jackie. Jack-

Jack opens his eyes and glares at Rhys. “Dirty liar.”

“...Were you sleeping?”

Jack doesn't confirm or deny the accusation. “Dumbass.”

“Anyway… Fixed my arm up.” Before he can say anything else, Jack waves his around in an attempt to get control Rhys’s arm, but yet again it fails. “I told you, I didn't put JACK-O-PEDIA back into my system, so you don't have much use in controlling me.”

“Well, it was worth a shot.”

“If you’d let me finish, I’d tell you what I plan on doing. I’m going to call Ma, Ma’s gonna answer my questions, and then I’m going to put you back in the thumbdrive.”

“Just kill me why don’t ya?” Jack crosses his arms. He looks betrayed, but Rhys knows this is what he deserves for all he’s done. For what he did to everyone. He’s too dangerous to be left out, and Rhys knows he cannot easily trust him like he did before.

Rhys sits on his bed and activates the holoscreen, tapping in a number and watching it call. It goes to voicemail. He expects this. “Hi Ma. It’s Rhys. Uh, give me a call back.”

Beep.

He leans back and waits. 

Thirty minutes pass. “Maybe she’s mad at you and not returning your call because she’s a petty bit-.”

Rhys jabs his finger into his port, causing Jack to yelp; he’s about to call Jack out for using that sort of language to his mom (although he does agree, she can get  _ petty _ ; no wonder they married) but he gets the INCOMING CALL indicator through his ECHOeye. They both freeze.

He inhales and picks up.

_ “Rhys?” _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No art this time, it went to doum vitae, if you're into Gintama go check it out! Next week is the introduction to Parker. I really love her as a character, by the way. 
> 
> Thank you for reading so far!
> 
> ETA: Fixed a weird discrepancy. Thanks to those who pointed it out!


	3. Moms Can Make Their Sons Do Anything

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rhys has a weak spot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one's a bit short. Been doing cosplay prep for AX. No chapter next week! If you're going, catch me at AX.

_ Sold soon after the appraisal, the hammer struck the auction table. _

NO IMAGE AVAILABLE. He almost hangs up on her. Jack looks shocked at the voice.

It was her. Rhys doesn’t say anything at first; he can’t. He didn’t think he’d get in touch with her so quickly. But then again, he’s her only son and… he was sure she had missed him. He certainly misses her. They had fought, yes, but… well. Did it really matter now?

(In a way, it still did. After all, they hadn’t spoken until now.)

The silence lasts awhile.

“...Hello?”

Rhys smiles. “H-hey, Ma. You can hear me, right?”

“Yeah.” She sounds a mixed of happiness and annoyance. Rhys racks his brain for what to start with. Well, it's been years. Maybe a simple greeting will do.

“So… how are you?” An awkward tension fills the room. Was it the wrong question to ask? Jack is laughing.

Parker sighs. “Um… I’m good. You?”

By now, Jack is rolling on the ground hollering. Rhys rubs his ears. “Fine, I guess.”

“...”

“...”

“Oh my god, you two! Just talk to each other!” Jack shouts, wiping his eyes. “This is comedy gold. Holy shit.” He knows that Parker can’t hear him, but if only she could! If only she could. That would give them something to talk about.

The first to speak is Parker. “Finally decided to call, huh? Took you what, 5 years? 6?”

He swallows thickly. He can’t tell her about Jack’s AI, he just… can’t. Fiona and Sasha about strangled him, and if Parker really is… Morgan, than she wouldn’t want to know this either. “I… I really- you called first.”

There's a silence.

“Rhys.” She’s trying to sound stern. "You didn’t contact me when Helios crashed. Why? I was worried sick, you know that right?”

He bites his lower lip and doesn’t answer right away. He’d… have to tell her eventually. Jack stares and makes a gesture to say ‘go on, say it’. Rhys sighs. He can tell a half truth. “I… escaped in an escape pod, but I wasn’t well for a long time afterwards. I couldn’t call. And then once I healed, I… Oh, Ma, a lot happened. I’m sorry.”

“Please tell me you still have a prosthetic.”

“M-Ma! How do you think I’m calling you?” Rhys, while a sleeze to everyone else, becomes an angel around his mother. Jack makes a face like he’s disgusted with all this. 

She chuckles before wistfully sighing. “Oh, Rhys… You’re alive, in the end. That's what matters. I appreciate the apology.” The tension between them seems to settle.

“I still got those cybernetics, I still have them. They’re actually pretty cool, Ma. They hooked it up to my arm to work in sync, so I can hack computers easier now and datamine a lot quicker. It’s better than that old Tediore one I used to have. Well, the one I’m calling you on I built myself. I studied the Hyperion arm enough to understand how it worked. Now they’re great in helping me with Atlas.”

Parker questions that. “Atlas?”

Oh, right, she doesn’t know about that! Rhys’s chest fills with pride. Oh, Ma was going to love this. “Ah, yeah, I got the title to it, so… I’m the CEO now. Ha ha... “

“I’m so proud of you!” He can just picture her grinning, freckled cheeks turned up in a smile. “Anything else that you haven’t told me?”

“I opened a Vault!”

Silence.

A long silence. Oh, no. Jack is laughing again.

“A  _ what _ ?” Now Parker seems more worried. Scared. “You’re dabbling in Vault business, boy? You know that’s dangerous.”

Yeah, wrong thing to brag about. Rhys glances around, trying to come up with what to say to this. “It was by accident. I had a robot friend who really wanted to put his other robot friend back together, but that required opening a Vault. Vaughn and I and a few new friends helped fight the Vault monster. We even took it down! But when we went into the Vault, we had a feeling about it and pulled each other back before the chest we opened disappeared. No treasure, but we’re still here.”

“Oh, well that’s g-”

“Off topic, but… Damn, Ma, you should see how much Vaughn has changed. He’s really made for Pandora. He even leads a whole bunch of old Hyperion desk jockeys called the Children of the Helios. They live in the wreckage.” He pauses. It’s hard to keep his mouth shut around his mom.

“They fucking worship me, Ma.”

“Language.” Oh, she’s still there. “Wait, what? Worship you?”

Rhys grins. His voice is excited as he speaks. “Yeah! I have no idea why. But it felt pretty great. Ah, that’s a douchey thing to say, isn’t it?”

She doesn’t skip a bit. “Very much so, Rhys.”

“Do I sound like Dad again?” The question is sudden, and it’s not one Rhys has ever asked before. Jack pauses. Rhys holds his breath. “Why do you… compare me to him, anyways?”

Parker lets out a slow breath. “Yes.” It isn’t the response either of them want, because they both know the other would’ve loved to be worshiped by a bunch of desk jockeys. Hell, Jack already was. “It’s hard to not see him in you.”

_ But it now doesn’t feel that good, Ma. _ It was better before when he didn’t know the identity of his father. But now… He picks up the letter and unrolls it. “I… found something for you. From Handsome Jack.”

“...I don’t want it.”

“He’s dead, Ma. Take it to burn it. It’s… probably best if  _ you _ burn it.” He folds the letter back up and puts it in the envelope. He then writes ‘Parker Sutton’ on it. Jack waves his hands in front of Rhys’s face and then makes a questioning face while pointing at the envelope. You gonna ask?

Rhys glares at him.

“Wait.” The sudden voice makes Rhys jump. What’s worse, it’s Parker’s ‘I have a wonderful idea’ voice. “Wait, does this mean you’re… coming home?”

Don’t say it, don’t say it, don’t say-

“Yes.”

Shit.


	4. Money, Money, Money, and Bad (Decisions)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A plan is in motion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No more lyrics at the beginning for now, the chapter title however is a reference to "Bad Behavior" by Dizzee Rascal.

Jack’s laughing.

His laughter grates on Rhys’s ears, loud and mocking. His expression twists in a mix of anger and annoyance, and he’s glad Parker can’t see his face at the moment. He wonders why he even said yes, especially with Jack lodged in his brain.

“When will you be here?” Parker asks. She sounds happy, and Rhys doesn’t blame her.

They haven’t seen each other since the big fight. Seeing her in person years after that incident will be super awkward, and Rhys isn’t sure how he’s going to do it.  _ How much has Hestia changed? Was Ma still working for the doctor? _ Questions, questions, questions, and the only answers to them meant taking a road, er space trip to a planet hundreds of miles away.

If he even gets off Pandora in the first place, that is. Pandora is a difficult planet to leave; only one ship in and out of the planet per month. Wickedly expensive, too, due to the lack of frequency of trips. No one wants to visit Pandora and everyone wants to leave. Rhys has almost no money to his name. He suddenly regrets saying yes, and Jack’s continuous laughter is like a stab in his back every second it goes on.

Rhys is, in reality, a man full of impulsive choices and bad logic.

“Sometime… in the next couple of months. Wait, wa- Ma, wait, I know that’s a long time, but getting off Pandora is hard and costly. I have a few connections though.” 

If only he could use the caravan! It got destroyed during the fight with the Traveler, and there wasn’t much room to make a new one, either: Janey and Athena were off to God knows where. 

There’s a pause, and then Parker speaks again. “Alright, alright, but find a way to visit your old lady, alright? I’m not getting any younger here.”

“Okay, okay.”

Click! The holoscreen disappears, and Rhys runs his hands through his hair in slight frustration. Jack’s finally stopped laughing. “Can’t wait to see you get out of this one, kid. All because you snooped in your mom’s mail. Priceless.”

Rhys decides to ignore anything Jack says and stares at the ceiling. He mulls over a few ideas. Ok, so the lesbians are out. He’ll have to use the one ship that comes in, and that costs money. Who around here has that kind of money? Fiona did, but she spent it on a cursing CL4P-TP unit.

Speaking of her, though, she and Sasha are treasure hunting today. Sometimes, they find good guns and sell them for ridiculously high prices. Ever since Fiona got into that Vault Hunter spirit, she’s been travelling all across Pandora, finding rare guns and Eridium shards. Sasha wanted to stay in the con artist role, but occasionally followed Fiona along on hunts.

If they bring back something good, he’ll have to ask about it. 

“Jack, question.”

“...Yesss?” Jack replies, answer drawn out and bored. 

“Did you… have a will?”

“Yes. But it’s probably burned to smithereens now thanks to you. And before you ask, no, I didn’t put ‘oldest living heir gets my inheritance’ on it.” Alright, so Jack had a will. Rhys just smiles. (To Jack, it reminds him of  _ him _ , and it pisses him off.)

Rhys stands up and slyly points at Jack. “Ah, but who did you leave all your fortune to?” 

“...The next president and CEO of Hyperion.”

Rhys holds his arms out, triumphant. “And who did you make the next president and CEO of Hyperion?”

Jack gets into Rhys’s face at that, but the man doesn’t back down. “How are you gonna prove it, cupcake?”

“Someone in the Children of Helios is bound to remember the announcement you made. I do, Fiona and Sasha do, Vaughn does. With enough witnesses… Besides, it’s last resort if Sasha and Fiona don’t bring back something good today.”

Jack attempts to flick Rhys’s forehead before backing off. “You’re dreaming big there. Too big. You tryin’ to get rich quick to go visit mommy? Cute, real cute.”

Yes, he is. If he doesn’t secure the money in a few days, however, this month’s ship would leave and he’d be stranded for another month. He doesn’t want to disappoint Ma. In a way, he  _ is _ hoping to leave. Pandora is a sick place. Pandora isn’t for him.

When Sasha gets back, Fiona is tagging along. They had found one or two guns, nothing much though. Fiona smacks Rhys in the shoulder. First, before the big news, he shows off his arm. The two are, at first, wary, as the last time he had this ability he also had Jack. Rhys is adamant that Jack isn’t there anymore, much to Jack’s chagrin. “All I did was sit at my work computer for a few hours and fiddle with the wiring until everything worked again. I did build this arm while modeling off the old one.”

“Suspiciously so.” Fiona whacks him again, a little harder this harm, causing him to push her back.

“Hey! I thought you trusted me… what did I do wrong this time? Did I break your heart again?” 

“You talkin’ ‘bout Sasha? I’ve never been interested in your sorry ass.” 

The usual banter. Sasha places a bag of their obtained loot on the table.

“So? What’s the damage?” Rhys picks up the bag and dumps it. There are a lot of smaller, more common guns, and also several stacks of money, but checking the prices with his holoscreen reveals it’s barely anything compared to the ticket off Pandora. It’s still something, though. Ignoring the ticket, it’s enough to live on for awhile. Rhys inspects one of the Atlas guns they came across. This in itself would definitely make a wad of cash.

They certainly were good scavenge- his head snaps up as an idea comes to him. Jack peers over curiously. Oh… if the letter survived… if Jack’s trophy case survived the crash of Helios, then it’s very likely his will might have survived too. Maybe he made he fireproof or some shit. He clears his throat.

“Hey, ladies, something came up. Um. But first! I have a question.”

The two stare at him.

“Wanna go visit Vaughn with me?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for sticking around so far! How's the writing in general? The imagery? Is it going to fast? The one week break was greatly needed, honestly, I feel like the writing will improve from here on out.


	5. Be Careful For What You Wish For

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A quick trip is not so quick.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lots of dialogue... I hate writing dialogue and conversation, it makes it feel too bare-bones, but anyway I hope you enjoy!

By now, the base of the Children of Helios is less threatening and more homey. Rhys isn’t sure  _ how _ Vaughn did it. It has decorations and furniture, rugs, even plants. It’s been awhile since he’s been here, but every time he comes there’s something new. The Children of Helios let them in with ease - they’re all friends here, after all. Although the laser pointers still startled them every time it happened.

Fiona and Sasha are walking ahead. Rhys adverts his eyes from the headless statue of “Rhys” - it bothers him now.

> _ “Ah, that’s a douchey thing to say, isn’t it?” _
> 
> _ “Very much so, Rhys.” _
> 
> _ “Do I sound like Dad again?” _

Them worshiping him like they worshiped Jack… it was now rather uncomfortable to think about. It isn’t long before he’s able to locate Vaughn, and they do some weird secret handshake. Those two are rather close, even now.

“Good to see you! I was worried about you when you didn’t answer my calls.”

Rhys runs a hand through his hair and laughs, embarrassed. “Yeah, sorry, something came up and then I decided to call Ma myself. Fixed up my arm.” He shows it off to a much fascinated Vaughn. “Doesn’t work with my eye, though.”

“That’s too bad. So why are you here?”

He’s answered by a hum. “Looking for something that might have survived the crash.” 

“Something of yours?” Vaughn laughs. “While cleaning up the base, I found some of our old stuff that survived. It’s in storage.”

Rhys pauses before nodding, although he has an expression of ‘not quite that’ on his face. “Yeah, I guess you can say it’s mine. It’s… It’s Jack’s will and testament.”

No one answers. Everyone is staring at him. He glances around, and Jack lets out a laugh. 

“I thought you were over this, Rhys,” Sasha mutters.

Rhys responds by viciously waving his hands around. “It’s for money, okay? His will states that his money goes to the next president-slash-CEO of Hyperion, which if you remember is me. I’m just hoping that, with all these witnesses, we can prove it, I can get the money, and I can visit Ma. Atlas doesn’t really give me a profit at the momen-”

There’s a collective sigh of relief. “Oh, good.”

“What’s with the relief?!”

“Because we thought you might use that money for more Jack-like reasons.” The voice is smooth and familiar, and Rhys can’t help but turn and grin when he sees the one responsible for it.

“Yvette.” She looks different now, much more prepared for the Pandoran wasteland for sure. “Care to give me a hug?”

“No.”

Oh. Typical Yvette. He laughs. “Aw, shucks. Anyway… Vaughn. What did you do with the contents of Jack’s office?”

“It’s in one of the closed off sectors. We go in groups. ”

A small scouting group, including Rhys, follows Vaughn through the maze that is the wreckage of Helios. Most parts of it are cleared, but the deeper they go, the more Rhys sees areas blocked off by wires or tape. Vaughn opens up one of the doors and lets everyone crawl ahead, and then crawls after. “We locked it up so that the more fanatical Children wouldn’t accidentally trap themselves in here. Eventually, they gave up on Jack, but it’s still locked up.”

“I see.”

They arrive in a clearing. Vaughn gestures. Across the way is a series of boxes, all stacked on top of each other. Well, there’s boxes everywhere. Geez. Rhys notes a box with his name on it, and he goes over to it, opening it. “Oh, wow. You weren’t kidding.”

“Right? Eh, take it. I brought this whole posse over for that purpose.” Rhys starts to dig round in his box, taking out a small picture frame. It’s of him and Parker. He smiles and pockets it. There’s some old tshirts in here, a few knick knacks… “Hey, Vaughn, come here.” He examines the side of the box. There’s a sizeable hole, like something had chewed on the wood. He pulls out one of the fabrics that’s sticking out the hole. “Damn, that’s one of my favorite shirts.”

“Ah, crap! That’s from a stalker,” Vaughn mutters.

“There’s a nest over here, under some of the rubble.”

Stalkers had nested in this one section of Helios. No wonder, too, with their ability to disappear and the open roof of sorts. Vaughn whips out his ECHO. “We need backup in sector 32HYU, there’s a stalker nest here.” Only four of them have guns. Rhys only has his stun baton.

Everyone freezes. They could be anywhere in this area. The group slowly walks closer to each other. Out of the corner of his eye, Rhys notices something. He smacks Yvette’s shoulder and points. One of them is injured and flickering in and out of view.

Yvette fires a shot.

Immediately, stalkers start to fly. They swarm the area, and everyone is either running away or firing shots into the air haphazardly. Rhys yanks out his stun baton and waves it around wildly. “You still have that?”

“Uh, yeah! It’s trustworthy!”

He successfully smacks one of the stalkers, frying its natural shield, and soon it’s shot down. However, it’s hard to even find them, but they’re angry and wanting to protect their nests.

Throughout the chaos, one stalker accidentally uproots a nest, and Rhys’s eyes widen as he notices one of the contents. It’s an envelope! He can’t read the writing on it, but… what if that’s... Glancing around, he dives for it. Right as he’s about to grab it, it flies in the air. “Fuck! Give that back!” 

He flings the stun baton at the flying piece of paper. A stalker shrieks and drops to the ground, and he bolts over towards it and grabs it by the neck. “Spit that out!” The stalker takes off, carrying Rhys with it, and he screams.

Boom!

Both fall to the ground. Rhys slams down on his shoulder, but he’s more focused on the paper. He yanks it out of the dead stalker’s mouth and jumps back, swiping up his stun baton. “Got it,” he says as he waves it around.

He’s tackled to the ground by an unseen force.

  
  


“So, this is it.”

Rhys nods, holding an ice pack to his head. He had been right: the envelope contained the contents of the will. It was rather beat up and parts of it were torn off completely, but the important part was there:  _ In the events of my death, all my wealth will go to the next president and CEO of Hyperion to continue the reign of the company upon Pandora. _

Ha, as if.

There was more… there was something about his daughter here. Rhys remembered the picture frame of her.  _ After my death, please take care of Angel. She is a s _ But most of it was torn off after that.

At the bottom was a number.  _ Call in the event of having to claim the funds. _

Rhys dials the number and activates his holoscreen. It rings for a few long seconds, but… someone picks up. The screen says [unknown], but the voice that comes out is loud and clear. “Identify yourself.”

“I’m calling because… I’m CEO and president of Hyperion, Rhys Sutton.”

“Ah.” The noise takes him by surprise. “We were wondering when you were going to call, Mr. Sutton.”

“You… wait a second. What?”

A sigh. “What are you, an idiot? Since Handsome Jack’s death, we’ve been waiting for this call.”

Waiting?

Fiona raises an eyebrow. “You know, saying it like that makes it seem like Rhys was  _ already _ picked for that. He only became president two hours before Helios crashed. Who are you?”

“Which is unfortunate. Our identities are of no importance.”

Rhys and Fiona glance at each other. 

“Here’s the long of the short, Mr. Sutton. You were chosen. You accepted an offer of cybernetics, right? With those cybernetics came a project, and it sealed your fate as the next president. Handsome Jack planned to use you to upload an AI into a -”

“- into a skeleton, and then have my skin stuffed with it.”

“Yes, henceforth sealing himself as a permanent CEO. Which, given the fact the will said the next CEO gets the money, would mean he would forever be rich in the process. This is why he never made it public who the next CEO was. Unfortunately, he died prematurely, and the scientist in charge of the project also died.”

Rhys makes a face. Jack just shrugs. “What can I say? It was genius at the time.”

“And I wasn’t told any of this?”

“No,” both the voice and Jack say at the same time. “Back to business. You want your fortune, yes?” 

“...Yes.”

“There is one condition. You  _ must _ stay Hyperion’s CEO to receive the money.” That makes sense. “And  _ only _ Hyperion’s CEO.”

Sasha yanks on Rhys’s shoulder. “Wait, what about-”

“Hold on.” He mutes the ECHO. “I’ll just lie. Besides, Jack owned Atlas and Hyperion at the same time, and he just put more of his attention on Hyperion. It’ll be the same here, except it’s switched. Trust me.”

The siblings make a face of ‘that’s what you always say’, but they nod regardless. 

Rhys turns the sound back on.

“I’ll do it.”


	6. More Storms Tend To Come After The Calm (After The Storm)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fiona comes for a visit, Jack complains about things, a typical day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I tagged this Rhysha and didn't have Rhysha? Anyway, there's more Rhysha now.

The radio is playing some music. Jazz like music, upbeat and swingy. Rhys reflects back on the day. Wait, all this happened in just one day? The sun has set by now, and everyone has settled in their respective places. Fiona decided to stay at the facility for the night, and she and Sasha are chatting away about… whatever girls chat away about. Him, maybe? He tries to listen in, but his cooking buddy smacks him on the back of his head. “Pay attention to what you're doing when you're frying, Rhys.” 

Ah. Rhys turns back to Cassius and nods. And this all started out of curiosity due to that damn letter. It's something he felt he shouldn't have touched in the first place. Jack had retreated into the confines of Rhys’s cybernetics when the stalkers had attacked, and he hasn't come out since. Beautiful, beautiful silence.

For now, Rhys is waiting for his money to come through. The mystery people said it would happen ‘in 1-2 business days’, which is perfect because the ship itself leaves in 5-6 business days. Some cooking oil splatters up, but Rhys shields his face with his prosthetic arm.

“Did you get your arm cut off for that prosthetic?”

“Me? Definitely. Saw a perfectly good arm and thought, hey, why not? I can datamine easier this way. Which was, you know, part of my job.” He gives a sly grin.

“...Kids these days,” Cassius mutters. Sweet, it worked. Making people think he cut off the arm he never had is a pastime of Rhys’s now. In a way, it was true; the Tediore one he had before had to be taken off to be replaced by the Hyperion one, and that Tediore one was fused to his skin and bones like some sort of Frankenstein creation. 

Losing his original Hyperion arm had been hard. “Hey, it comes in handy. I can take hot pans out of the oven and not worry about burning myself.”

Fiona cranes her head to glance, no, glare at Rhys. “Yet you still use your left arm to punch people. You left handed or something?”

“Uh, yes? I am, actually. Which is why my left arm isn’t my prosthetic arm. Why would I cut off my dominant hand? I’m not that stupid.”

Sasha elbows Fiona. “Now he has a sick sleeve on his left arm instead. Like, his entire arm is blue, except for a few patches, and he also didn’t tattoo his-”

“Alright, that’s enough!” Rhys flicks a towel at Sasha. “No more of that! Besides, I only let you see it because we were-”

The towel was thrown back at him. Fiona dramatically gags. “I don’t need to know about the inner details of your relationship, you two.” At that, the two smirk, and Rhys gives Cassius the spatula before making his way over to Sasha. “Don’t-” Fiona pleads, but it’s too late. The two start kissing. “Oh, please, I don’t want to see my sister and her boyfriend making out in front of me.”

“That’s the goal. As the younger, my goal is to embarrass you.”

Rhys frowns. “Isn’t it the other way around?”

“Shush.” Sasha puts a finger to his lips. Rhys pulls her finger away, pats her shoulder and goes back into the kitchen. The meal today is a mix of Atlas and Pandoran, something Cassius thought up. Skag meat fried in bladeflower seed oil, seasoned with salt, and served with a side of sauteed mushrooms. They all gather around the table to eat once the food is done. Rhys was learning how to cook pretty quickly. Sasha had demanded he learn after learning that Rhys only really knew how to cook instant noodles and anything else he could microwave in five minutes. Cassius is a good coach whenever Sasha doesn’t feel like doing it, or when Fiona is over.

“So, what’s the plan?”

Rhys checks his bank account. “No prosthetic arms at the table, Rhys.”

“You’re not my mom. Those weird… people said they’d give me whatever starting amount I wanted, and then whatever was left they’d give me $10,000 a month from that until it runs out. I asked for enough tickets for five.”

Fiona perks up. “Five? Does that mean I get to go?”

Rhys nods. “Yes. You, Sasha, Vaughn, me, and one other.”

Before Rhys could even ask, who do you want to come with us, the sisters stand up and say “Yvette!” at the same time. They then high five, knowing that since both of them suggested her, Rhys had no choice but to have her join. He just sighs and nods. They’re still on okay terms, at least, and growing closer once more. “Don’t you want your mom to meet all of your friends?”

Cassius laughs. “Leave me out of this.”

Well, that settles it. In that moment, he feels a buzz in his brain. “What? Not me?” comes a very, very annoying voice. Rhys, in response, pulls a little cotton ball out of his pocket and rubs his temple port with it, causing Jack to static out. “Alright, alright! We can talk later!”

  
  


“You don’t need a ticket, Jack. No one can see you. Just sneak on in behind me and you’ll be fine.” They’re in the workshop, and Rhys is working on a new Dumpy prototype. There are some new stacks of boxes in there, all labeled “Rhys” in Vaughn’s handwriting. He had found Dumpy in one of them and was now only using him to create something new. 

“Ha, funny.”

“I’m serious. Oh, and… don’t fuck things up when I see Ma again. Okay? As in, don’t distract me. And don’t try to tell me what she’s done or anything like that, I’m asking the questions here.”

Jack crosses his arms. “You basically just want me to not exist.” Rhys nods. “Ugh, you make me sound like some illegal substance you’re hiding in your pocket.”

“Because you… are?” Not illegal, certainly, but bad enough that Rhys would rather hide the hologram then have him revealed to everyone, especially his friends. Jack is the last person Rhys wants to keep in his life at the moment. There’s a knock on the door, and Rhys glances over his shoulder. “Yes?”

The untimely visitor is Sasha. She smiles. “Working again?”

“The life of a CEO never sleeps.”

“You’re an idiot.” They share another kiss. “Come to bed before you burn yourself out.” She wanders around the workshop, however, glancing at all nick-nacks her boyfriend has. There’s prosthetic prototypes, robot prototypes, even a new ECHOdevice prototype. And with this new Hyperion money he’s getting, he can really funnel it into his projects. He can get better specs, better equipment, upgrade the dome… If anything good came out of this, it’s all the money he’s getting now. Well, as long as his sponsors don’t find out about Atlas. She notices the ECHOeye still plugged into the terminal and gestures at it.

Rhys notes what she’s looking at and immediately grows wary. “I was cleaning it out.” Sasha sits at the terminal and opens up the files before frowning.

“Where is it?”

“Uh, what?”

“Half the files! Like Jack. All that’s here is some weirdly named dictionary.”

Oh. “I told you, I’m cleaning it out. Put his file in a thumb drive. I’m gonna burn it or something, make sure no one can obtain that again. You know how well that went earlier.”

“Just checking.” Sasha nods before standing back up. “Anyway, keep up the hard work.” She gives him a look, a ‘remember what I said about bedtime’ look before wandering out. 

Luckily, the money arrived in the morning.


	7. Check Yourself before you Wreck Yourself

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rhys and co finally make it to Hestia.

Despite being small, and despite being somewhat out of the way, Hestia has its own secrets.

As they step out of the ship, a torch flickers a large flame in the middle of a busy town square. To Rhys, this is home. Not Pandora, and certainly not Helios. No, home is Hestia. Home is where he can walk through the door, kick off his shoes and work on robots all day for his robotics club. Home is a restaurant with the best ride-side yonks, a park with the best trees for climbing, and indentured servitude.

This is also Fiona’s and Sasha’s first time officially off Pandora. Sure, they’ve been to space before. Sure, they stared out the window the whole way here as if they’ve never seen it (in hindsight, Rhys agrees that space is its own wonder, but he’s seen too much of it). However, the moment they step onto Hestia, the sisters stood there agape. The port city Masterpost is a sprawling city with high skyscrapers and beautiful landscapes. Vaughn, too, seems excited. “I was a farm boy growing up, and even my college town wasn’t this big.”

Rhys loads up some money cards for the crew. He still has a lot of money. It still makes him suspicious, despite Jack’s reassurances. “Listen, kid, do you really believe I would just let the company rot? My god. Show me some slack.”

He shoots Jack a glare. “Well, okay. Fine.”

Rhys hands the money cards over to the other four. “Here, just don’t abuse these. These are your credit cards while you’re here. Ma’s probably working at her store, so let’s do a bit of shopping before she gets here, shall we?” Vaughn and Yvette seem more excited about the shopping aspect at first. Fiona and Sasha just stare at the money cards with unfamiliar power.

They first hit a department store. Rhys has to buy Vaughn a plain t-shirt before he’s even let inside, but Vaughn isn’t satisfied with only purchasing something like that. The sisters search around cautiously, as if someone is going to leap out and take their money before they can use it. Yvette quickly returns wearing a new, less Pandoran outfit.

Which, well, spurs up the sister’s realization that they could do whatever the fuck they wanted.

They didn’t want this department store. Fiona immediately drags everyone to the steampunk-esque store across the street. Rhys feels a lot of regret, and Fiona buys three more hats. He yanks them back on track towards the flower shop.

Vaughn sees a science store. Zip. He goes in, telling everyone to stay put. When he returns, he’s carrying a bag full of math technology he’s never seen before. “Yeah, Hestia is full of convenient tech,” explains Rhys. “But… they treat it like plastic. They force you to use a different calculator every year, for example. Buying a calculator shouldn’t be like buying backpacks!”

Jack tries to elbow Rhys. It fails.

Finally, they make it to the flower shop. There’s an older woman there; her red, curly hair is tied back in a ponytail by a rainbow ribbon. Rhys’s breath gets caught in his throat, and he realizes how anxious and nervous he is to see her.

It’s Parker.

She glances up and, at realizing the sudden crowd of people in the lobby includes her son, just smiles. “Well, you actually did come.” She isn’t the type to yell ‘Rhys!’ and run up and hug him. No, she’s more the type to ah… well, a few things.

Rhys frowns. “Please. There’s only one ship in and out of Pandora every month.”

“Does this mean you’re staying a month? Brilliant!” She straightens up and wipes the dirt out of her hands. “Can you keep your room clean for that long?” Yeah, Parker is the kind of mother to grill her child about his room and if he has a job.

“Ma!”

The others stare at Rhys, and then at Parker, before Yvette speaks up. “That’s your mother? You look nothing alike!”

“What? No.” Rhys moves to stand next to her. “We have soft cheeks and I have her eyes.”

“He looks more like his father.” Parker laughs.

Rhys’s eyes dart over to Jack, who is standing off to the side a bit. She’s right. They do look alike, don’t they? He hears clinking and is handed a set of keys. “I’m still here for another two hours, but if you want you can go home and get settled a bit.”

“Don’t you wanna know who-”

“Shh shh shh. Home first. You guys have been carrying luggage and bags around all day, haven’t you?” She pushes them out the door. “Git!”

Once out the door, Rhys calls for a taxi.

“Your mom was a bit impatient, wasn’t she?” Fiona mutters. Sasha takes the opportunity to laugh and smack Rhys on the shoulder.

“I see where you get it from now!”

Jack smirks. Rhys wishes Sasha could just slap him instead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, uh, no chap last week because I had my wisdom teeth pulled and I couldn't do shit for ages afterwards. Also, after this week I can't keep up the schedule - school is starting super soon. I'm also going to go back and fix up/rewrite parts and once that's done I'll post chapter 8. Thank you for your patience! I had more I wanted to do with this chap, but I ran out of time. I'll fix it up later.

**Author's Note:**

> If you liked it, give it a kudo. If you REALLY liked it, comment! If you wanna see more, subscribe! Thank you for reading! More soon... will post newest chapter when I can, thanks for the patience!


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